Chérie's Baby
by Amles80
Summary: Chérie is having a baby - but no husband. This shocks Yuuri, and Conrad takes the opportunity to talk to him about values, tolerance, and Wolfram. Yuuri makes certain decisions, that some people strongly disapprove of! What is he going to do? Chérie/Anissina, canon Wolf/Yuuri, Yuuri/Sara. Conrad, Beryes, Murata, Greta, Shouri, other characters. Ch 6: Yuuri and Wolfram talk about it
1. A serious conversation

Yuuri shook his head like a puppy that got a bath for the very first time – not matter how many times he traveled between Earth and Shin Makoku he just never got used to the process – and stepped out of the fountain.

Greta was there as always, jumping excitedly up and down by Conrad's side. Wolfram and Günter both held the same towel and they attacked him with it.

When he finally managed to break free from the embraces he looked around to see if anything had changed since his last visit. Had he been away for months this time, or only a week or two? Greta had perhaps grown a little but the others, unsurprisingly, looked exactly the same, and they were very happy to see him.

The previous maou greeted him in the dining room. Not until then did he realize that he had been gone for quite a while and that something quite important had happened in his absence.

"Ch… Chérie-sama!" he stuttered, blushing, and he didn't know where to look.

Chérie's big belly was kind of hard to avoid – round, pointing right at him, so… _big_. Not that he had never seen a pregnant lady before – the last one had been Nicola… but Nicola's and Chérie's sense of fashion were very different. Yuuri had never seen the ex-queen wearing anything else than revealing, tight sexy outfits and apparently her pregnancy was not going to stop her from wearing them.

Yuuri's thoughts were spinning. When? How? _Wait, I don't need _details_, not at all!_ - why, was the question, not how - and how did the others take it? He supposed Wolfram was sort of still a teenager, but the other two were pretty old to get a new baby brother or sister…

"I see congratulations are in order", he said, trying to compose himself. Was that the right thing to say? Yuuri glanced at Wolfram – always the first one to tell him when he was not acting like a king – who seemed calm, without objections and reproaches.

"Thank you!" Chérie beamed and caressed her belly covered in black silk. "Yes, I am so happy. We all are! I was wondering if you were going to notice."

"Er…" _Kinda hard to miss!_ "Well, yes… but who… I mean, if you don't mind my asking, who is the lucky father? Is it Fanvalen?"

Yuuri supposed the two of them would get married. It wouldn't be the first time Cecilie von Spitzveg married a human, but was everyone okay with that?

"Oh, my dear Fanfan!" Chérie smiled. "No, it is not him. Actually, there is no father."

Yuuri nodded and smiled back, trying to process the information, and then –

"What do you mean _there is no father_?"

"I mean that there is no father!" Chérie smiled brightly again. "Isn't that great? You see, lately I've been quite bored on my free and easy holiday travel for love. It didn't… seem worth my time anymore, and then seeing Wolfram with Greta, thinking of the three of you as a family… Well, it made me long for a baby again. It was such a long time ago!"

_So being Greta's grandmother is not enough?_ Yuuri thought, but wisely didn't say it. Greta was not a baby, after all.

"But I still don't understand…"

"Men are wonderful… sometimes. Mostly, they just give you heartache and trouble. I spoke to Anissina about this, and she told me that she was inventing something that could help me. So in a way, I guess you could say that Anissina is the father."

_What?_ Yuuri couldn't even say it out loud. There were no words, none at all. He could just stare, and blink, and try not to stare _too_ much.

"But not really. Only a man can be a _father_ and the truth is that this baby simply don't have one. It will have me and Anissina. And of course, three _wonderful_ brothers… and a lovely brother-in-law, too."

Yuuri almost asked who that last person was, before he realized it was supposed to be him. Wolfram would yell at him if he forgot… even for a second…

"I'm so excited!" Greta took Yuuri's hand. "It's going to be so much fun to have a baby aunt. I'm going to help take care of her just like Uncle Conrad helped taking care of Wolfram."

There was nothing to do but to smile at the little girl, her joy was so cute. Yuuri glanced at the others around him and none of them looked at all displeased in any way. Not even Wolfram seemed to be bothered by the reference to his days as a baby.

"Um, how do you know it's a girl?" That seemed to be a safe question. "What if it's a boy, Greta? I'm sure that would make you happy, too."

"No", said Chérie. "Three boys are enough. This baby is a girl."

In his mind, Yuuri could hear the echo of his mom's voice – 'boys are so boring!' – and for a moment that echo was louder than the thought: _Wait, there's something strange going on here…_

"How do you know? Don't tell me that Anissina can decide the sex of the baby, too?"

_This is becoming stranger and stranger_, he thought.

"Oh no", said the pregnant Sexy Queen. "She wishes she could, I'm sure, but I just meant that I can feel it. In my heart, I know."

"Well, if you say so," Yuuri agreed. If he could just get over the fact that it was so strange seeing Chérie like that – he was far from an expert but she was just huge in his eyes and he wouldn't be surprised if she was almost nine months along already – he had to admit that there was something very sweet and almost touching about the way she smiled.

Yuuri didn't ask anymore questions until later that day when he found himself alone with Conrad. It was kind of an awkward topic but he sure didn't want to talk to Wolfram about it.

"So… Your mother and Anissina are, like, together now?"

"That's your first question?" Conrad smiled. "Well, I guess they are, or were. You know Mother; she can say things like 'I'd like to settle down', but it doesn't last and I suspect she likes falling in love more than being in love. Judging by the way they acted just shortly after you left I'd say they definitely were… But I don't really want to think about it."

"Right", Yuuri said quickly, "I feel the same way." Thinking of Chérie-sama and Anissina doing… sexy things… together was kinda creepy to him, actually.

"What do you all think about the baby, then?"

"Oh," Conrad smiled, "I approve of almost anything that makes Mother happy, and while a baby was… unexpected, I see nothing wrong with it. Wolfram, of course, was a little grumpy at first. He's so used to being the youngest, you know."

Conrad winked and Yuuri chuckled a little. That had been his thought exactly.

"And Gwendal", Conrad went on as they walked through the castle, "was perhaps not entirely pleased with Anissina's involvement, but he's overjoyed about the baby. Pleased as punch."

"Really?" Yuuri could see that even the slightest possibility of Chérie-sama _marrying_ Anissina would scare the crap out of Gwendal, but he hadn't expected a phrase like 'pleased as punch'.

"Of course, Yuuri. You wouldn't hear him _admit it_, of course, but Gwendal has a soft side, you know."

It was true, Yuuri realized. Gwendal loved cute things but with his constant frown and military posture and general seriousness it was easy to forget the fluffy part of him.

"Everything is great, then", was Yuuri's conclusion. "But… it's just… there are things I don't understand. How is it even possible? No father?"

"No idea", Conrad admitted willingly. "But Anissina is prouder than any father-to-be that I've ever seen before. Günter says he has never heard of a maryoku strong enough to create life, so I guess there must be some – ah… _male bits_… involved somewhere in the process..."

"Oh", Yuuri said. "I get it – like a test tube baby. People do that on Earth, but I wouldn't have expected it here. Pretty smart of Anissina to invent that all by herself."

"She'll be proud if she heard you say that", Conrad smiled. "But she's kind of secretive about it. When Günter asked her flat out how they did it, she just grabbed him and forced him to assist her in some experiment involving baking machines. She has hinted that next step would be making it possible for men to get pregnant…"

Yuuri stopped dead in the corridor. Everything around him suddenly began spinning so fast, too fast…

"Don't let Wolfram know", he creaked.

"What, you don't want to have a second child?"

Conrad's teasing tone of voice was lost on Yuuri. Oh, the horror, the horror!

"Greta doesn't need a sibling", Yuuri panted, "especially not now when she's getting an aunt…"

"Relax!" Conrad took a firm grip around Yuuri's shoulders. "It's not going to happen! Whatever Anissina did to Mother, I'm sure it would be impossible to do the same thing to a man. We don't have wombs, remember!"

"Yeah… right…" Yuuri took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The mental image of a breastfeeding Wolfram might have scarred his brain forever, but it was a relief to think that it just couldn't happen.

"Wow, this place is just getting queerer and queerer."

"What do you mean?" Conrad released him when he was sure Yuuri wasn't going to pass out. "It's not _that_ strange."

"Yeah, but…" Yuuri ran his fingers through his head and tried to sort out his thoughts. "But they are both women!"

He stared at Conrad who just looked right back at him with the gentle concern that often preceded some kind of life lesson.

"You know that it is not uncommon. And from what I remember, it is not unheard of in your own world either. Yuuri, why do two lovers of the same sex upset you so much?"

"It's not that it upsets me…" Yuuri blushed. "It's just… I don't know…"

"Well, figure it out." Conrad's voice got stricter, got something of Gwendal in it. "Yuuri, I want you to think about what kind of values you are passing on to your daughter."

Yuuri just stared at his friend. What did Greta have to do with anything? She was adopted, not at all the same as Chérie's baby…

"Think about it", Conrad insisted. "You adopted Greta, you became her father and she loves you. She loves Wolfram, too. She thinks of the two of you as her closest family. How do you think it makes her feel to hear you going on about how 'you are both guys'; can you seriously expect her not to get confused?"

"Well…" _Seriously, I'm the one who is confused here!_ "I never thought about it that way…"

"I suggest that you do." Conrad leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, as if he was about to deliver a lecture.

"You remind me of my brother", Yuuri mumbled. "That's kind of creepy…"

"I take that as a compliment", Conrad said with a hint of a smile. "Shori always wants what's best for you. But don't change the subject. I want to ask you something: What did you think when you first came to this world and realized that it is a sin for humans and mazoku to be together, romantically?"

"I thought it was horrible and just plain stupid." Yuuri shuddered when he remembered the women who worked under slave-like conditions, the infants who were sometimes buried when they were only half-dead… "I have to put an end to that once and for all. If people would just get to know each other, they would see that humans and mazoku aren't that different after all."

"You even adopted a human child", Conrad nodded. "Many people think very highly of you for doing it. But there are also those who are opposed to your beliefs. People think that these rules exist for a reason, that couples like Hube and Nicola shouldn't be allowed to be married…"

"But that's so unfair!" Yuuri got so upset that he even raised his voice. "People who say that are wrong. Hube and Nicola truly love each other and it doesn't matter who they are or where they're coming from. It's wrong to separate lovers. To separate somebody from the one they love is like killing that person!"

Conrad looked at him in silence, waiting for something more. When Yuuri didn't know what else to say, Conrad asked:

"Then tell me, please, why it matters if the lovers in question are of the same sex or not? Would it be okay to punish a human girl if the one she loved more than her life was a mazoku girl?"

"Of course not", Yuuri replied. "I won't tolerate any gay-bashing in my kingdom. This is supposed to be a hate-free, happy place!"

"Well, that's what you always say, but sometimes it sure doesn't sound like you mean it", Conrad said.

"You're unfair!" Yuuri almost stamped his foot like a three-year-old. "Gosh, Conrad, why are you being so hard on me?"

Conrad's eyes softened a little.

"I'm not being hard on you. We're just having an adult conversation about a slightly touchy subject. Sometimes, such things are necessary. You have every right to disagree with my point of view on things, but you need to know why you do it. As a king, it is your responsibility to think things through and not just always say whatever is on the tip of your tongue."

So Yuuri thought about it. Didn't he want everybody to be happy? _Of course._ What was wrong with two guys loving each other, if that made them happy? _Well, nothing – how could two people's happiness harm or offend anyone?_ What if Conrad one day told him he was getting engaged to a guy, wouldn't that be a good thing?_ Conrad would make anyone happy, for sure – man or woman – he'd be a good boyfriend and he deserved to be happy…_ And as for Wolfram – well, Wolfram…

"You know", Yuuri blurted out, "it's just that I was never given a choice! I didn't know anything about the traditions. You can't just accidentally slap someone and then be engaged and be expected to fall in love just like that."

"So this _is_ about that", Conrad said. "What if Wolfram had been a girl?"

For a split second, Yuuri thought: _That would have been better_, but would it, really?

"No, that wouldn't have changed how I feel about it. But… the fact that he is a guy just makes it worse, somehow. I do _like_ him, though."

"You were taken by surprise", Conrad said, sounding sympathetic again, "that's understandable."

"It's just that… that I…" Yuuri searched for words. Conrad nodded encouragingly but didn't try to fill in the gap for him. "The thought never even occurred to me before, you know. I mean, I've never even had a girlfriend, I've hardly even _thought_ about girls…" _Don't blush_, he told himself. "I mean, not seriously. So how could I even begin to, like, question my sexuality and stuff…"

"Hm…" Conrad said thoughtfully and stroke his chin.

"I mean", Yuuri tried to explain, "I'm a guy, so I'm sort of expected to be into girls by default, where I come from, you know? It's not that I think it's something seriously wrong with being gay…"

"Well", Conrad said, "I guess this is a conversation you should have with Wolfram at some point and not with me. But you know, not even a royal engagement is written in stone. It _is_ possible to end it."

"And be challenged to a duel on life and death?" Yuuri sniffed. "Wolfram would kill you for even suggesting it, so no thanks…"

Conrad didn't speak for a moment. He looked like he was mulling something over.

"Um", he said, "it's getting pretty late, you should probably go find Greta or something. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, Gwendal will expect you to work, and Günter will expect you to study."

"Uh, sure…" Yuuri felt like he was getting snubbed. "And you'll practice with me in the morning as usual?"

"Sure", Conrad said and they walked in silence for a while. Not until they approached Yuuri's room – where Wolfram no doubt was waiting – Conrad added:

"He's in love with you, you know."

"What?" Yuuri stopped and gulped. Well, yes; he _knew_, sort of, but did Conrad have to say it out loud? It made it worse, somehow. It was so much easier to pretend it was just an act, a childish game.

"So…" he mumbled. "Does that mean I've got to break his heart?"

"Yuuri…" There was so much sadness in Conrad's voice that Yuuri almost couldn't bear to stand still. "I can't answer that for you. The two of you have to figure this out by yourselves. I don't want to see any of you unhappy…"

"Let's not talk about it", Yuuri decided quickly. Yes, that was the quick and easy temporary solution, trying to forget that the engagement even existed. "Let's just think about the new baby and be happy for it, okay? Your mom and Greta are right; a girl will be perfect. I bet Gwendal's already knitting baby clothes, and Günter's compiling lists of appropriate names from the family history, which Chérie-sama is going to ignore completely and choose something totally random…"

"You know us well." Conrad smiled a little at last. "You're right. Let's just be happy for now. You've got time to figure things out."

"Yes." Yuuri put his hand on the door. "Thank you, Conrad. I realize I've been acting like a homophobe… I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't." Conrad's smile was definitely warm again. "Goodnight, Yuuri."


	2. Yuuri's Decision

Yuuri didn't have that conversation with Wolfram after all, because his so-called fiancé was asleep with Greta by his side.

He knew it was a cowardly attitude, but he was glad. Postponing unpleasant things didn't make them go away, that was what he had been told all his life, but he dreaded talking to Wolfram about _feelings_.

He needed to know what to say, first.

Yuuri took his place in the bed by Greta's side. Sharing his bed with Wolfram was better with Greta there; she was just a child, and Wolfram wouldn't try anything funny in her presence.

Looking at the sleeping child made him think about what Conrad had said about her, and he realized that his godfather was right. Anything he did and said affected the child he had adopted. He would break two hearts if he broke up with Wolfram.

_On the other hand_, there was a little voice from a corner of his mind, _is it good for a child to grow up with parents who don't truly love each other?_

He thought about what it had been like when he was little – the day Shouri had taken him out and they met Bob – when his parents had a terrible fight and his mother had threatened to leave. He hadn't been able to fully grasp the situation because he was just a toddler, but he knew it was bad. Greta was older and saw and understood more; she had heard Wolfram's outburst of jealousy more than once – '_you cheating wimp!_ and she had witnessed, as Conrad had pointed out, Yuuri's responses, too…

_Wolfram can't make me love him_, he thought. _I should make him see that he needs to find his happiness with someone else. It's best for all of us, in the long run._

Yuuri turned around in the bed, tried to make himself comfortable, but no matter how he twisted and turned, sleep wouldn't come to him.

It was one thing to realize _what_ he needed to do. Knowing _how_ to do it wasn't that easy. And was breaking up really the right thing to do? What did he truly _want_? Was there no chance of him falling in love with Wolfram?

No.

No. When he closed his eyes and thought about it, or rather, when he closed his eyes and opened his mind to whatever was hidden in there that he was afraid to see, it was just like he, secretly, had been suspecting for some time: The face that he saw behind his closed eyelids was Saralegui's.

He blushed, thinking _Oh no what's wrong with me I can't be serious_, but he was alone, after all – or sort of, because Wolfram was sound asleep – and there was no one to judge him but himself.

Yuuri hadn't seen the other king in person since long before he went back to Earth the last time, but the last time they had met had been a good day. Sara had visited him, only for a short time, and they had taken a tour around the capital of Shin Makoku and the surroundings on horseback. Wolfram, Conrad and Beryes had been with them, of course. And Wolfram had been civil and even nice, as if there was nothing suspicious going on between Yuuri and Sara…

But it was nothing, was it? What was wrong with hanging out, having fun with somebody? He had felt a connection to Sara even the first time they met, and that had always made things feel so easy, so natural. But maybe it was weird to feel that way? He hadn't felt that way with anyone before – well, maybe with Conrad, but that was still _different_. But different how? The way Sara looked so intensely at him, the way Yuuri sometimes studied every little gesture he made and all the varying expressions of his face – surely that didn't mean anything? Sara was interesting and exciting and incredibly beautiful and gave him a slightly-worrying-and-yet-nice warm and fuzzy feeling, almost like butterflies in the stomach, but what did it matter?

Because they were both guys and that would mean that he was…

Yuuri tried to stop his thoughts from going any further, but it was too late. He was already thinking it. He did have feelings for Sara. Warm feelings. Perhaps even more-than-friendship-feelings. And if that really was the way he felt, then he absolutely could not go on being engaged to Wolfram.

Yuuri decided what to do. He had to talk to Wolfram in the morning.

***

In the morning, he woke up to Greta's voice.

"You'll bring me a surprise? Yay! I love surprises!"

"Hush", Wolfram said, "Yuuri is asleep!"

"Not anymore", Yuuri groaned and blinked sleepily in the morning light. It was still early. "What's going on?"

Wolfram was already dressed and Greta was hanging around his neck as if she was saying goodbye.

"I meant to tell you last night", Wolfram said, "but you were with Conrad, and I guess I fell asleep before you came in. I've been called away to the von Bielefeldt territories for a couple of weeks and I'm going first thing after breakfast. I was going to wake you up in a moment."

"What for?" Yuuri sat up in bed, wide awake now. "Is your uncle Valtrana up to something again?"

"Of course not", Wolfram assured him with a snort. "But it is my home province and I have duties there; something you should be able to understand by now, really. It's almost the same as you going back to Earth, only not as far away. But it's nice to see that you worry about me, Yuuri."

A shadow of something gentle and almost sweet flew over Wolfram's face, but so quickly that Yuuri wasn't sure that he really had seen it.

"Um", he said, "the thing is… we haven't really had any time to talk since I got back…"

"I know", Wolfram replied, "but we've got plenty of time later. Take care of Greta and don't do anything stupid while I'm away, okay?"

"Okay…" Yuuri waved and, as Wolfram darted out of the room to have his early breakfast, he suspected that he really was a wimp. Because he was barely awake yet and he couldn't possibly have had time to talk to his 'fiancé' during this short moment, and he was so relieved.

"Yuuri, are you alright?" Greta jumped up in bed and snuggled up to him. "You look weird. Do you miss Wolfram already?"

"Eh…" Yuuri scratched his head and couldn't think of anything to say. "Come on, let's get dressed and go down to breakfast."

***

By the time he and Greta were down, Wolfram was gone already. Yuuri felt a guilty relief filling him and helping him relax, although all the thoughts that were running through his head prevented him from giving his daughter the attention she demanded from him.

"Yuuri, what's wrong?" she pouted. "Aren't you happy to be back from Earth?"

"Of course I am", he reassured her. "I'm very happy to be back here."

"So what are we going to do today?" the child smiled brightly. "Do we really have to study? Can we go on a picnic?"

"I have to go and see Gwendal and Günter and Conrad", Yuuri replied. "Greta, I think I have to go away for awhile. I have something to take care of."

"What?!" Greta stared at him. "No way, it's not fair! Why do you and Wolfram have to go away all the time?"

"Greta, it's not 'all the time', it's just sometimes." Yuuri decided breakfast was over – everyone else had already eaten – and he got up from the table. "Come on, I'll take you to Anissina. I'm sure she'd love to hang out with you today."

"I wouldn't be so sure", Greta muttered, but she took his hand and trotted obediently by his side all the way to Anissina's laboratory.

When they were outside Anissina's door, Yuuri began to reconsider his idea. Sounds… suspicious sounds… were coming out of there.

"Oh, yes", Lady Chérie moaned, "oh yes, Anissina, you're so good… more, exactly like that…"

"Greta, let's go!" Yuuri hissed and grabbed the child's hand harder. He could feel his face burning up and he wanted to run away and bleach his brain. He wouldn't have thought a pregnant lady was doing… such things, but then again, his first name for the ex Maou had been 'Sexy Queen'…

He was frozen on the spot only because he couldn't decide if he should try to cover Greta's ears or just turn around and run.

"What's wrong?" the innocent child asked, and to Yuuri's horror, she moved forward to push the door open.

"No!" Yuuri exclaimed, but it was too late, Greta flung the door wide open and Yuuri had to close his eyes for a second.

It was one thing to tell everybody he liked girls and not boys, but it was something entirely different to accidentally walk in on two women in bed together. Some people would say he way a lucky guy, though…

When Yuuri braced himself and opened his eyes, however, Lady Chérie and Anissina were not in bed, not even naked, and not even kissing.

A flood of relief washed over him and he tried to smile and look normal.

"Excuse me, your Majesty, but whatever is the matter with you?" Anissina asked.

"Uh…" Yuuri scratched his head and smiled insecurely.

What he saw was Lady Chérie in a big, comfortable armchair and Anissina sitting in front of her on a small stool. One of Chérie's feet, naked, pale and swollen, was resting in Anissina's lap.

"Haven't you ever seen somebody get a foot massage before?" the ex queen asked mildly and raised an eyebrow.

"He's been acting weird all morning", Greta offered as explanation, and the women shrugged.

"Being pregnant is hard on the body", Anissina said. "The one who got the lady 'in trouble', so to speak, has to take responsibility, right?"

Yuuri felt stupid. The two women smiled at each other and although there was nothing _sexual_ about the situation, it was decidedly intimate and he didn't want to intrude longer than necessary.

"Excuse me", he said, finding his voice again, "but can I leave Greta with you? She's feeling a bit lonely and I have things to discuss with Gwendal and the others?"

"Of course!" Chérie beckoned Greta closer. "Come, dear, let's leave the men to their boring business."

Yuuri closed the door behind women and child and headed to Gwendal's office, trying to think of a way to best inform them all about his intentions.

***

"Hello, everyone!"

Yuuri stopped at the door and smiled brightly at the men in Gwendal's office; Gwendal himself by the desk did not smile but looked up and gave Yuuri a friendly look, Conrad smiled back and Günter said:

"There you are, King Yuuri! We were just beginning to worry about you."

Yuuri met Conrad's eyes. His godfather smiled and wiggled his eyebrows lightly as if to say: 'well, you know Günter!'

"Sorry, Günter", Yuuri said and walked closer to the three men to see what dreadful paperwork Gwendal had prepared for him. He wasn't sure but he thought there weren't quite as many documents on the desk as it used to be when he had been away for a while.

He was distracted by something else that took up a lot of space on the desk.

"Pretty flowers!" he smiled. "I don't recognize all of them."

He recognized Conrad's blue flower together with 'Beautiful Wolfram', Gwendal's and his own, and a few others, but there were two flowers in the vase that caught his attention. One had long and slender, dark purple petals and a hint of pink at the base of them. The other one had round, glossy petals in _different_ colors.

"Oh, that." Gwendal shrugged. "Greta insisted on giving them to me yesterday. Mother has been more than usually into flowers since she got pregnant and some of these are new."

"This one", Günter said and touched the purple flower, "is called 'Günter's Loyalty' – I am deeply moved by this honour. It's a wonderful flower, don't you think?"

"It's lovely", Conrad chimed in. "And this one" – he pointed at the multi-colored one – "it's called 'Free Love.'"

_Why am I not surprised_, Yuuri thought.

"I see", he said. "How nice. What else has happened here during my time on Earth?"

"Nothing much", Gwendal said. "There was an incident with the dragons again, poachers, but Yozak sorted that out. Then there was some lunatic from Caloria who thought he could _learn_ to use maryoku. It seems like he was rather impressed by fire…" Gwendal pressed his lips together as if to stop some comment about human stupidity to come out. "He thought he could force somebody to teach him and tried to kidnap a man."

"That's terrible! What happened to him?"

"He got burnt", was Gwendal's reply. "Literally. And he got caught and sent back to Caloria with a warning. I'd be surprised if he showed up here again."

Yuuri thought about this for a moment.

"I can see why humans find mazoku magic tempting", he said, "especially now when we're all heading towards a peaceful era. Fluurin should make sure people get all the correct information. No more anti-Mazoku propaganda, or scary myths or anything like that."

"Actually, that's exactly what we think", Günter smiled. "Learning material is what they need; brochures, books, lectures and so on. Lady Fluurin and I have already begun working on it. We thought Your Majesty would approve. Lady Anissina is excited to help, too. Lady Fluurin is also contacting Francia, and others."

"That's great!" Yuuri's eyes sparkled enthusiastically. "Human-Mazoku friendship! We should arrange cultural exchanges! If young people can visit each other's countries and learn from each other…"

"Yes, yes", Gwendal interrupted. "One step at the time."

"Oh, but now that we're talking about it", Yuuri went on, "I was going to tell you that I want to visit Small Shimaron. As soon as possible."

"What for?" Gwendal asked with a frown.

Yuuri was quiet. How was he going to explain this? _I know the decent thing to do would be to break up with Wolfram _before_ I see Sara, but Wolfram is not here and I can't wait; I can't bear to wait a minute longer than necessary!_

"Well?" Gwendal insisted. "What's going on? Is there something going on that we don't know about?"

Yuuri still couldn't answer. Gwendal wouldn't approve, he was sure of it. At the same time, he _was_ the king and had the right to make his own decisions.

"I think", Conrad said, "that this is just something that Yuuri needs to do for his own sake."

Yuuri, surprised, looked at his godfather. How could it be that the man always understood him so well? Conrad met his eyes but Yuuri felt insecure when he saw no smile on the other man's face. Conrad looked so serious and not at all happy, but at the same time, he didn't look like he was going to stop him either.

"He's right. I need to do this."

"I take it you haven't told Wolfram you're going?" Conrad asked.

"I…" Yuuri gulped and knew he looked guilty. "I haven't told him anything." He met Conrad eyes and straightened up. "And I don't want anyone to tell him before I get back!"

Conrad sighed, "I suppose that's for the best after all, for the time being. Seeing how he's not even here…"

"Why", Gwendal said sharply, "do I get the feeling that there's a whole conversation going on here that some of us – " he looked at Günter who nodded in agreement – "are excluded from?"

"I am sorry, Gwendal." Yuuri looked at Gwendal with all the royal authority he could find within him. "Sorry, but this is nothing you need to worry about. My decision is made. I'll go back to my room and pack a few things, and then I'll go to Small Shimaron as soon as a ship can be ready."

"Oh, Your Majesty!" Günter took a step closer to him. "You're planning to go immediately? I don't suppose you want me to go with you?"

"No, Günter. I'm going alone."

***

As soon as Yuuri had left the room, Gwendal demanded an explanation from Conrad.

Conrad replied that he wasn't sure, but that he had a feeling that he could guess.

"I feel that it would be wisest not to interfere too much at this stage", he said, "but we should probably tell Yozak to go with him. Without telling Yuuri about it, of course."

"Of course", Gwendal agreed. "I wouldn't dream of letting him go alone."


	3. About Flowers and Bees

Yuuri had to accept that he was delayed at the castle until after lunch. Sending a message to Sara to tell him he was coming and packing a few things didn't take long, but there were a few documents about some pressing matters Gwendal and Günter insisted on making him sign first. He even had to take a very late lunch, after almost everyone else, because of that.

"Yuuri, don't you think Anissina is just great!?" Greta asked enthusiastically when she met him at the table. Yuuri was used to Greta's idolization of the red-headed inventor and just hummed something while drinking his juice.

"I mean", Greta went on, "I've got it all figured out now. When I'm grownup, I'm going to marry Beatrice and Anissina can help us make a baby."

Yuuri choked on his juice and almost spit it out. He coughed and shook his head. Had Greta really said that?! Her innocent eyes beamed at him.

"Greta", he creaked, "I really think it's too soon for you to think about marriage and… making babies…"

"That's not true", Greta pouted. "It's not like I'm a _baby_, Yuuri. I know where babies come from."

_Uh, do I really want to hear this?_ Yuuri asked himself.

"You do? Who told you?"

"Anissina told me. It's not like it's a big secret, is it? When a man and woman love each other very much, like Hube and Nicola, the woman's fairy godmother plants a baby inside of the woman's womb, and there it grows for nine months before it comes out. Right, Yuuri?"

"Uh… yeah, that's right…"

_Whew!_ he thought, _Anissina is a bit crazy, but this story is probably good enough for now. I'm so not ready to have a proper flowers-and-bees talk with my daughter… and who knows if I ever will be ready…_

That would be just too awkward. He remembered when his mom had tried to have such a conversation with him about two years ago. It wasn't one of his fondest memories. It had been an ordinary evening after dinner, when his mother, totally out of the blue, said:

"Yuu-chan, your father and I have been thinking… You're not a little boy anymore – well, you're always going to be my little boy, but you're also starting to grow up. So that's why your father and I feel…"

Yuuri's father chose that moment to get up from the table, mutter something about having this or that thing to do, and he darted out of the room.

"…Your father feels it better to leave this to me", Miko went on with a small frown. "Well, it's better this way, I suppose, because women are better at talking about these things."

Yuuri had a feeling he knew where this was going and he turned beet red.

"So", Miko said, "you're in that age where you start thinking about girls – even if you haven't told me so, but that's okay; I know anyway…"

"Mom, come on! You _really_ don't have to do this!" Shouri stood up so hastily that his chair almost fell over. "It's bad enough that I had to go through it. Yuu-chan, let's go upstairs!"

It was an easy choice for Yuuri. He followed his brother and disappeared from their mom's sight just as quickly as their dad had done a moment ago. They went into Shouri's room, where the older brother closed the door and sat down on the bed. Yuuri stood awkwardly at the door and looked hesitatingly at him.

"Don't just stand there", Yuuri's big brother said. "Get a chair."

Shouri's face was stone-hard with a faint pink hue over his cheeks and earlobes, and Yuuri felt quite sorry for him.

"Mom was trying to talk to you about sex", Shouri said when Yuuri was sitting. "You understand that, right?"

"Yeah", Yuuri nodded with a blush. "I get it. Thanks for getting me out of it. And I don't a lecture about it; it's not like I'm totally clueless."

"You know all the, uh… basic stuff?"

"Of course", Yuuri said and Shouri looked relieved.

"Then I don't really have to tell you that much. Protection and all that, right? If you want to know anything, find a book. Don't trust everything you read on the internet, and remember that while you won't get any STDs from watching porn – which you should do anyway – it might seriously damage your computer and I don't want to have to deal with that."

"Okay, Shouri."

"I guess we're done here, then", Shouri said. "And if you ever do need to talk to me about something… I'm here for you, of course…"

Yuuri hadn't felt that he had any thoughts about the matter that he wanted to share with his brother, and that had been it.

"I'm so glad you have an older brother", Miko beamed the next time she saw him.

"Yes, mom", Yuuri had said with genuine feeling. "He's really good to have around sometimes…"

Now, eating breakfast with his daughter, Yuuri decided that because Greta didn't have an older sister to save her from embarrassing parent-moments, he just wasn't ever going to try to put her through something like that. And it wasn't like he knew more about being an adolescent girl than what his mother had known about being a boy. He was just going to entrust her to the women of the castle and leave it at that. Not that that thought wasn't scary in its own way…

"So you see", Greta went on unaware of all his thought, "that's why Anissina is so smart. You see, Mother Nature – that's the boss of all those fairy godmothers who make babies – is really picky about some things, like only giving babies to women who are in love with men. But Anissina's invention made it possible for Lady Chérie to have a baby without a man!"

"I understand", was all that Yuuri could say. What Greta said was true, after all, aside from that part about the fairy godmothers.

"I wonder, though…" Greta looked thoughtful. "Anissina said it's really hard work to do that. I wonder if it's possible to trick the fairy godmothers into believing that one of the women is a man? You know, to dress like a man just like Yozak dresses like a woman?"

Yuuri nearly choked on his juice again. So now Greta wanted to crossdress, too?!

"Um", he said, "but wouldn't that mean, theoretically, that Yozak could have a baby with another man if he made the fairy godmothers believe he was a woman?"

_This conversation is absurd_, he thought. _We're making up alternative theories for a theory that doesn't even exist…_

"No", Greta said and looked at Yuuri as if he was really slow. "Because only _real_ women have fairy godmothers; Yozak would still have a fairy godfather, and _they_ can't make babies. Duh!"

"I see." Yuuri had to smile. "Then, I don't think crossdressing helps for anyone. These… fairies… keep track of their protégées regardless of what they're dressed like. You can't fool them. I guess you'll just have to rely on Anissina."

"That's what she said", the child replied cheerfully.

"Well then", Yuuri said. "Shall we go and see if Anissina has something more to teach you today?"

_It doesn't matter that we're both guys_, Yuuri thought. _Why did I ever think that it did? Yes, he's a boy, but I like him, and that's it. Yes. It was the right thing to do to come here._

Finally, Yuuri was where he wanted to be, right by Sara's side. Sara had been as happy as ever to see him, and he had taken both Yuuri's hands in his as a way of greeting. He had been smiling widely and his eyes had been shining behind his glasses. All of that was perfectly normal. But Yuuri had been grinning like a fool, nervously seeking some sign in Sara's face that could tell him if it really _meant_ something. It wasn't the first time Sara took his hands like that. It was just something he did, maybe out of some reflex; what if he held everybody's hands like that, what if Yuuri wasn't that special to him after all?

Yuuri had felt stupid for staring at Sara like that, and he pulled his hands away before he was going to say something stupid.

But Sara just smiled and gestured to the carriage that was going to take them to the castle. All was well. He asked questions about everybody and talked about all the excursions they were going to make to this or that historical site, hot spring or beautiful garden. He made Yuuri talk and feel relaxed, and when several hours had passed and it was time to say goodnight, it almost felt like they had always been together.

But what was the next step? A couple of days had passed, he and Sara had fun and that was great, and now that he was beginning to feel more certain about things, he wanted to move things forward.

"You're very quiet today", Sara said, when they were walking in the garden one day after lunch.

"I know", Yuuri said. "I'm just… trying to figure things out, that's all."

Hard to figure this out without talking about it, was it not? But how do you talk about it? How do you ask a boy if he likes you?

"I understand", Sara said, and looked so gently at him that it made Yuuri's chest ache.

It made him think about looks. Conrad looked at him very kindly, too, but not… like that. Wolfram often looked at him like 'You're mine, and one day I'm going to have my way with you', but that wasn't what he thought he saw in Sara's eyes, exactly…

There were times when Sara looked at him in a way that made him think: 'If he kisses me now, I don't think I would resist…'

If Yuuri was completely honest with himself, he knew that the first time he had that thought had been that time when they were hiding from the treacherous guards, pressed so closely together in the darkness…

He hadn't given such impulses a lot of thoughts in the beginning; being with Sara had just been _fun_ and exciting and he had refused to analyze it. When he carefully nudged that thought he thought that he was going a bit crazy for being affected by another boy like that – was it something in the air in this world? – and Sara was so different from Wolfram that it didn't seem possible that both of them could want him.

But perhaps it was possible. This sweet, burning sensation in his chest – was it love? Wolfram's anger and jealousy was always so hot, he was so pushy and harsh that it made Yuuri feel like being a boy's fiancé meant being owned. And if he sometimes thought about what Wolfram might want to do with him as a lover… well, it made his guts tie into a knot and made him cold all over.

But… it didn't have to be like that, did it?

"Sara, I like you", he blurted out.

Saralegui turned his head sharply to look at him, his eyes were wide.

"Yuuri!" A smile slowly spread over his face. "You're not talking about how good friends we are, are you?"

_There's no going back now_, Yuuri thought.

"I… I'm not sure that I want to be your _friend_, Sara…"

Sara moved a little closer, leaned in to him – Yuuri could smell whatever it was he used to wash his silky hair with – and said:

"Are you flirting with me..?"

"I…" Yuuri gulped and just _couldn't_ come up with an answer. "Maybe..?"

Yes, it was scary, but not in a bad way exactly. He felt hot and dizzy and wasn't at all sure about what he was doing. But there was nothing crazy about it. Conrad had been right. This kind of thing was not wrong, because it felt so good…

Sara just smiled, as if he was waiting for Yuuri to keep talking.

Yuuri didn't know where to go from there.

He moved a little closer to Sara and wished that he could move soundlessly on the gravelled path they were walking on. That way it could look unintentional, as if he just happened to get closer. But was that was he wanted? As if he was a child who didn't know what he was doing? That had often been his excuse before: 'I'm just a high school kid; I'm not ready for this!'

He didn't want to say that anymore.

Yuuri let his hand brush against Sara's. He wanted more; he wanted to take Sara's hand in his and hold it, but it was new and unfamiliar territory and it paralyzed him to feel his hands suddenly so full of the will to grab and take and touch and feel…

"Yuuri…" Sara said, "you surprise me…"

His hand wasn't as shy; it moved to touch him back and Yuuri held back a gasp. Fingers against palm; nothing accidental or innocent about that touch. Yuuri's skin was tingling, burning.

"Are you not", Sara said in a low, almost purring voice, "engaged to be married?"

Yuuri took a deep breath.

"But that was a mistake! I never meant to do it! Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me when I say that? Even you…"

"Yuuri, calm down!"

Sara took his hand in a firm grip and pulled him to a stop. Sara looked him in the eye and Yuuri wondered what it meant, that look on his face. Did he truly think that Yuuri was what Wolfram said, a cheater? But how can you cheat on somebody you never were involved with in the first place?

"It's just…" Sara seemed to search for words, which was a bit odd. Didn't he always know just what to say? "It's just that I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Wolfram…"

"But", Yuuri interrupted, "what do you care about him anyway?"

"You think I have no morals at all?"

There was teasing in Sara's voice and Yuuri's anger died away. The other boy squeezed his hand lightly and Yuuri became acutely aware of the skin-to-skin contact again.

"No", Sara went on, "I know that it isn't like that between you and him, and that wasn't really what I meant anyway. And you're right about Wolfram. There's one thing I like about him and that's that he would do anything to protect you…" There was a flicker of that sweet smile on his face again. "But no, I don't really care about him or his feelings."

The sweet smile was perhaps hiding something harder; something hard and sad.

"If he were any other man… But he is a prince of Shin Makoku. I would duel with anyone, but challenging him means challenging Shin Makoku. That, after all that we've been through, would be…"

His voice died away, and Yuuri felt strangely… alone.

But then he felt Sara's fingers play with his again, and Sara's hand began to move up over his arm, up to his shoulder, past his neck – it made Yuuri shiver but again, not in a bad way – and rested on his cheek.

"Do you understand, Yuuri?"

"You… you wouldn't fight for me?"

Yuuri began to understand, slowly, that what he wanted – what he finally realized with body and soul that he wanted – was dangerous, not for himself but for a whole lot of other people, people who depended on him to protect them.

But all of that seemed so distant, almost unreal. Sara was real, and the vibrant moment.

"Oh, I didn't say that." Sara's voice was a soft, soft whisper. "I don't back off from a challenge and I don't mind living dangerously if I have a chance of winning. That's all I'm asking, Yuuri. Do I really have a chance of winning you?"

"Yes", Yuuri said without a moment's hesitation.

He believed that they were going to kiss then, he really believed it, because somehow they had ended up standing unbelievably close to each other, but Sara took a few quick steps away from him and said:

"I can see you, Beryes! Come out of there at once."

Yuuri felt his jaw drop and he looked around for Beryes but couldn't see him. It had just never occurred to him that someone could be watching them.

Beryes materialized as if out of thin air, but he had probably been hiding somewhere in the bushes, and he bowed to his nephew and king.

"I lied", Sara said, "you were hiding well and I couldn't see you. But I could feel your presence. I do not appreciate you spying on me, Beryes."

"I apologize", Beryes said and bowed again. "I didn't mean to spy. I just want to make sure you are safe. Both of you."

Sara sighed impatiently.

"I assure you that Yuuri and I don't need a babysitter. We are in my own palace garden; what could possibly be a threat to us here? Do you have any reason to suspect that we are in any danger?"

Beryes seemed unwilling to answer but couldn't meet Saralegui's stare for long.

"No, Your Majesty. I'm sorry. Do you need anything? Shall I send for refreshments?"

"No thank you", Sara said stiffly, "that won't be necessary. Please go away somewhere where we can't see you and, more importantly, where you can't see us."

Saralegui's sworn protector bowed again and proceeded to remove his unwanted presence from their sight.

Once he was gone, Sara took Yuuri's arm and began walking.

"Sorry about that", he said, "but he should know that there's no need to chaperone or supervise me anymore. Some things should only be done in private, don't you agree?"

"Yes", Yuuri nodded, and his heart began to beat hard.

"Good", Sara said and he finally stopped walking and faced Yuuri again. "And you know what? I was getting impatient. If you hadn't said anything soon, I would have… but I'm glad you did."

"You have been waiting?" Yuuri said.

"I have, yes."

Sara put his arms around him, pulled him closer and, finally, they kissed.

Conrad just happened to be in the port when the ship arrived, and he stopped to watch the passengers disembark. He was expecting someone to arrive from Small Shimaron, but this someone was not Beryes. Was it not time for Yuuri to return?

The moment he saw the man who was closer than anyone else to King Saralegui – his adviser, his uncle, his bodyguard, and friend – he was overcome with anxiety. What was he doing in Shin Makoku? Had something happened to Yuuri? Why had they not gotten a message from King Saralegui first? Where was Yozak?!

"Beryes." Conrad bent his head slightly. "What are you doing here? What is wrong?"

The other man met his eyes steadily. He was serious, but not visibly upset. But there must be something… His presence alone was alarming.

"Lord Weller, I believe we have a situation. And before you ask, let me assure you that your young king is in good health and perfectly safe. Or, as safe as he wishes to be."

"I'm glad to hear that", Conrad replied with increasing confusion. "But what 'situation' are you talking about? It must be serious for you to be here!"

"Yes", Beryes agreed. "But we can't talk about it out here."

Beryes looked like he had eyes in his neck and that they were scanning the surroundings for him. So cautious. And naturally, he couldn't deliver his important message out there in port.

"Of course." Conrad gestured to the animals behind him. "I was expecting His Majesty, so I brought his horse. It's the quickest way to the castle."

"Thank you", Beryes said, and instantly began moving to the horses. "It is an honour to ride the Maou's horse."

Theoretically, yes, it was. But Beryes sounded like his heart wasn't in it, like he had other things on his mind.

"Discretion is of outmost importance", he said as he sat up. "I am relieved that Lord von Bielefeldt was not here to greet his fiancé."

"Well", Conrad replied stiffly, "I assure you that he is as capable as I am of keeping secrets!"

His love for his brother was unconditional, but not uncritical; Conrad wouldn't hesitate to point out Wolfram's weak points. But to have a stranger from another country say such a thing…

"Forgive me", Beryes said. "That was not at all what I was implying. But for now, I believe that it's best to keep this between you and Lord von Voltaire – and the Sage, of course. I hope they are at the castle?"

"Gwendal is, yes. And I'll send word to the temple immediately."

There was a palace guard coming out of a tavern, off duty naturally, but Conrad did not hesitate one moment to call him and send him to the temple with a message for Yuuri's friend to hurry to the castle.

It was a short ride, and he and Beryes did not speak. Anxiety was nagging Conrad's mind in a way it shouldn't; he should be able to handle a crisis. But if Yuuri was involved… What in Shinou's name had the boy gotten himself into this time?

After leaving the horses at the stable, they hurried to Gwendal's office. Beryes got quite a lot of curious stares along the way, especially from Conrad's mother who saw them from an open door and called after them:

"Conrad, what's the hurry? I didn't know we were expecting a guest. Where are you going, don't be rude now…"

The last few weeks, she had been getting heavier, and she was experiencing some pain – nothing at all serious, Gisela assured them – that prevented her from running after them the way she usually would have.

Beryes turned around and bowed swiftly.

"I'm sorry", he said to Conrad, "but I am not sure she needs to hear this now. Of course, if you feel that she should…"

"I don't even know what this situation is about", Conrad all but snapped. "I suppose I'll have to trust jour judgement for now…"

"Sorry", Beryes replied. "I didn't mean to be secretive."

Conrad snorted, and there was the closed door to Gwendal's office. He opened it without knocking.

Just as expected, he found his older brother at his desk by the window. What surprised him more was to see Yozak stand casually rested against a bookshelf, his arms crossed over his chest in his usual way, that way that made him look so soft and almost elegant despite his muscular appearance.

"Yozak, what are you doing here?" That relaxed posture could be terribly annoying, and now it was downright offensive. "Aren't you supposed to watch Yuuri's back while he's away? In Small Shimaron?"

Yozak met his stare with calm self-assurance.

"Easy, Commander! I was watching Yuuri's back, but I felt that I should come back here and report the situation in person. Of course I should have realized", he added, nodding to the man by Conrad's side, "that I wasn't the only one to have that thought…"

"So the two of you know about it", Beryes said. "I'm glad. Then we can talk…"

"Well, I don't know about it", Conrad said. "I'd appreciate it if somebody wanted to fill me in."

"It's not that bad", Yozak said. "It seems like our young Maou is having a good time, that's all."

"Yozak", Gwendal said, and there were loads of reproaches in that one word.

"Well, kids will be kids…" Yozak shrugged. "Yes, I know. Sorry, Excellency." He straightened up and looked at Conrad. "The thing is, it seems like it's happening, this thing we've been suspecting… with Yuuri. He's having a fling."

Conrad stared at Yozak. The whole thing suddenly made sense to him. He looked at Beryes who nodded. He looked troubled, conflicted, even, and Conrad could very well imagine his feelings.

The black-haired sage entered the room with a tentative smile, looking a bit flushed as if he had been running. He looked at the men in the room with his usual wide-eyed and open expression. Something about him – he looked so young, so cheerful – made him seem misplaced in Gwendal's office, but as usual, that impression faded within seconds. The sharp intelligence was never far beneath the surface and Conrad knew he was more than well merited to be in their circle.

"What's going on?" the boy with the old soul asked. "This is about Shibuya and King Saralegui, isn't it? Shibuya finally did it?"

"It depends on what you mean by _it_", Yozak said. "But of course, he _is_ of age…"

"Yozak!" Gwendal snapped, and the spy shrugged unapologetically.

"Your king and my king are romantically involved", Beryes confirmed, and the boy simply nodded.

Conrad looked at his older brother; Gwendal's face was hard and unreadable.

"Lord Weller", Beryes said, "now, perhaps, you understand my earlier remark about your younger brother. I know that he is fiercely protective of his fiancé. I believe that it is more than possible that he'd want to defend his honour, and the honour of his king. Which, of course, is the same as the honour of this country…"

Silence fell. They all knew what he was saying. And not saying.

Gwendal spoke first:

"I should not have allowed him to go to Small Shimaron."

There was a load of regrets in Gwendal's voice, at least to those who knew him well. Beryes frowned as if he suspected the comment to be an insult: 'bad things happen in Small Shimaron'. And maybe that was part of it, but Conrad guessed there was something else in Gwendal's thoughts, too: _Why do I let the boy get away with things against my better judgement?_

"But we cannot keep him in a cage", Conrad said. "I should have talked to him about it. I… I tried to talk to him about some things right before he left, and I think it got through to him, but…"

"But whatever you said", Yozak filled in, "it didn't have the desired effect, had it? Well, if you ask me, it's practically begging for problems when you value traditions and ceremonies over common sense. Kids shouldn't be allowed to get engaged, no matter the circumstances."

"I am inclined to agree", Beryes said, "but this is hardly the time to debate your customs. I feel that I probably should have talked to Saralegui about getting too close to your Maou… but at the same time…" He sighed. "It is complicated…"

_He almost wanted it to happen_, Conrad thought. He remembered what Beryes had told him once when they talked about Yuuri and Saralegui: 'Yuuri is the only one who can save that boy's heart'… _Maybe that's true_, he thought, _but to what cost?_

"We must separate them", Gwendal said. "Conrad, you and Yozak are going to get him home, quietly, without alerting Wolfram to the situation, and without making King Saralegui too upset. We don't want to keep Wolfram from starting a war just to have it from King Saralegui instead."

"Excuse me", the sage said, "but if I may add my two cents, I think you're underestimating Shibuya and Wolfram."

"What?" Gwendal frowned. "Are you saying that Wolfram would accept this? No. He would start with yelling and screaming and throwing balls of fire around, and then…"

"But he's not _that_ irresponsible. Yes, of course he'll be angry when he finds out, but to go as far as to war…"

"You don't know him like we do", Gwendal interrupted. "Yes, Wolfram knows what's best for this country as well as anybody. But if he snaps, if he gets out of control, even if it starts small, it could spread quickly. Yuuri would be caught between them. Which side would he be on?"

"Yuuri", the black-haired boy said. "Yes, Yuuri is the problem. And the answer."

"We're wasting time talking", Gwendal snapped. "I am sorry, but you are wrong."

"Wait, Excellency." Yozak snapped his fingers. "I think he's is onto something. Yes, our hot-headed young Wolfram is… the way he is, but if the kiddo talks to him _before_ he snaps, if that's what he would do… As long as he hears it from his 'fiancé' first, then maybe it won't be so bad."

"My point exactly", the sage said.

"I think they're right", Conrad said. "I think that if we trust in Yuuri and let him handle Wolfram, then it won't be a problem. I mean, it won't be such a huge problem. Not a complete disaster, at least."

"It is possible that can work", Gwendal admitted. "But you know that Wolfram isn't the only thing I'm concerned about…"

"We'll talk about that later", Conrad said. One problem at the time…

Gwendal nodded and turned to Beryes.

"Then it's up to you to break the lovebirds apart gently by telling them that Yuuri is needed here", he said. "Yozak's going with you to your country to make sure our Maou gets home safely. In the meantime, we'll try to keep Wolfram in the Bielefeldt territory for a while longer without alarming him."


	4. Back to Reality

"Your Majesty", Gwendal began as soon as Yuuri had closed the door behind him, "I am sure that you know the reason why we want to talk to you…"

"I'm so sorry!" Yuuri interrupted, eager to appease the serious-looking general, who was looking even more serious than normal. "I know I'm behind with all the work here, I'll make it up to you as soon as I can, I swear! I guess I just lost track of time when I was with Sara, I didn't think…" A blush crept up on him and he finished with a mumble, "didn't think about all the paperwork and stuff…"

No, all of that had been _very_ far back in his mind; he had been enjoying himself without thinking about anyone else; no wonder Gwendal was annoyed…

"Your Majesty", Gwendal said with a frown, "this is about something far more important than 'paperwork and stuff'. Actually, I assumed Yozak would have said something already."

Yuuri did not understand. Yozak wasn't even in the room. When the two of them arrived to the castle, Yozak hadn't even given him time to change his clothes after the trip. He had just pointed in the direction of Gwendal's office with a smile and a 'Good luck, kiddo! They want to talk to you in private.'

_They_ apparently meant Gwendal, Conrad – and Günter? Yuuri hadn't seen him at first, but there he was, standing against the wall. He met Yuuri eyes, but did not say one word, and he looked – sad? Conrad, standing behind Gwendal's desk close to the window, looked troubled, and Yuuri began to think that something was seriously wrong.

"So _now_ Yozak decides to keep his mouth shut?" Gwendal muttered.

"I suppose he didn't want to spoil His Majesty's good mood during the voyage", Conrad suggested.

"Neither do we", Gwendal said sharply. "This is not about spoiling anyone's _mood_."

Yuuri began to feel more than a little suspicious about the whole thing. Spoil his good mood? What did they know about his mood anyway? They looked at him in such a strange way, and why wasn't Günter fawning on him like usual?

"We _know_, Your Majesty", Günter solemnly announced. "About you and King Saralegui. That was the reason why Yozak was asked to bring you back."

"What?" Yuuri's jaw dropped. "How can you know?!" He and Sara hadn't told anyone, they hadn't spoken to anyone…

_Oh_, he realized, _but Beryes was spying on us. And maybe Yozak was, too…_

"This brings us straight to the point", Gwendal said and looked sternly at Yuuri, looking more serious than ever behind his big desk. "The point is that you must understand that there is _nothing_, or next to nothing, that you can do that you can keep a secret."

Yeah, _that_ much was clear to him!

"Because you'll never let me go anywhere on my own without sending Yozak after me, because you still think of me as a child who gets into trouble – "

"No", Gwendal interrupted, "because you are _our king_. That is what you need to understand. Your life is not your own anymore. Everything you do has consequences and you must think about your country before you make any personal decisions. Did you seriously believe that you could become romantically involved with _anyone_ and keep it a secret? And with a foreign king?"

"Um…" Yuuri didn't know what to say. "I didn't think about it like that… but…" Gwendal's eyes were still fixed on him and that made it hard to find the words. "But… I'm sorry, but now that it's out in the open it's alright, isn't?"

"No", Gwendal said, and that one word sent chills down Yuuri's spine.

Not alright? Sara had seemed to be prepared for that, that was true, but Yuuri had wanted to believe that somehow, they would understand…

"Why?" he said. "Is it because you think Sara is bad for me? Is it because he isn't a Mazoku?"

_Surely they all must have gotten over that prejudice_, Yuuri thought, but Gwendal shook his head impatiently.

"No, first of all it is because he is a _king_. Just like you. Surely you must see that."

"Your Majesty", Conrad said, perhaps seeing Yuuri's confusion, "it's like Gwendal says. Your life is not your own anymore. It's not like we can decide for you who you are going to be involved with, but you must understand that there _are_ people who are off-limits. You are the king of this country, and that means that your first duty is to Shin Makoku. The thing is, the same is true for King Saralegui. What were you going to do, spend half the year in Small Shimaron and the other half here?"

"I am so sorry, Your Majesty, that we have to cause you pain!" Günter spoke for the first time, and Yuuri could tell just by looking at him that Günter truly felt bad for him and perhaps wished that Gwendal and Conrad didn't have to talk like that. "But to abandon your country for another for any lengthy period of time, that is not the proper way to rule a kingdom. I am so sorry!"

Yuuri suddenly felt very weak, nauseous even. Why hadn't he thought of that? _What_ were they going to do to make it work? Had Sara thought about it? Surely there must be a way…

"Not to mention all the other problems", Gwendal continued. "Even if he hadn't been the ruler of his country, many people here would find it hard to accept even a noble from another country as their king's consort… And then there's the fact that you are already engaged."

_That_, at least, was something Yuuri could respond to. The nervous uneasiness turned to anger.

"I wanted to break up with Wolfram before I went to see Sara", he said. "If breaking up is the right word for it; you _know_ what our 'engagement' has been like. But he left before I had a chance. I would be talking to him _now_ if Yozak hadn't dragged me in here!"

"Dragged you in here?" Gwendal's voice was calm, but cold, and it washed away Yuuri's anger as quickly as it had come.

"I'm sorry", he said, and truly, he _was_. "I didn't mean it like that. I do take this seriously and I understand that this is important. I understand that you're just… just…"

"Just trying to help you do your job right", Gwendal filled in, and sounded a little bit kinder.

"We don't _want_ to make the rules for your love life", Condrad said, "and I wish this didn't have to happen, but there _are_ certain rules for kings. I am so sorry."

The kindness in Conrad's voice made Yuuri want to cry. He had been _so happy_. Had he even known what happiness was like before? He had gotten two weeks and a day with Sara before Yozak came and… dragged him away; he _had_ to think about it like that, because that was what it felt like. Like he had been dragged against his will, as if he didn't even have his own will anymore, as if his happiness was irrelevant…

_No_, he realized. /iIt is not irrelevant. It is a choice. I have already made the choice once; I agreed to make Shin Makoku my home and do my best as its ruler. It was a promise, and I intend to keep it, no matter what. If that means that Sara and I can't be together…/i

No, he wasn't ready to dwell on that thought and see what it meant. If he did that, he _would_ cry.

"I understand", he said and tried to sound strong. "But I'm still going to talk to Wolfram as soon as I can. Maybe, if we are finished here, I can go and find him right away?"

_No more postponing things_, he decided, but no one had time to answer him. The door flung open without any warning and Greta came running.

"Yuuri, Gwendal, everyone! The baby is coming! The baby is finally coming!"

Such news made even Gwendal forget what he had been talking about, and all of them hurried through the castle to Chérie's rooms.

They didn't get to see her or the baby, though. There was a guard outside the door, and he refused, no matter how Yuuri tried to order him, to disobey Lady Anissina's order and let them in.

Lady Anissina herself soon came out to scold them.

"What is this terrible noise out here? Don't you stupid men realize that a woman need peace and quiet when she is giving birth?!"

Anissina was always terrifying when she was angry, but even so, Yuuri dared try to defend himself.

"I'm so sorry; we didn't mean to bother her! It's just that when Greta said that the baby is coming…"

"You idiots", Anissina snapped. "When Greta said the baby is coming, she meant that it is on its way, not that it is already here. The water broke ten minutes ago, and Gisela can't say how long it's going to take. There's no point of hanging around out here, so please leave! And take Greta with you; she's too young to be useful here."

Nobody wanted to argue, not even Greta, even if she pouted a little. Yuuri took the opportunity to escape from the older men and their terrible but probably not unfair lesson.


	5. Waiting

Conrad, although he had no children of his own, wasn't completely clueless. He knew that Anissina had been right; it wasn't _impossible_ but still unlikely that the baby was going to arrive within the next few minutes, and he also realized that there were no place for him or any other man in that room. His mother was in good hands. He and the others were probably going to have to wait for awhile; no big deal.

But what were they going to do while waiting? Yuuri and Wolfram were hopefully talking, and Greta… Conrad felt a bit guilty for not thinking about the child when Anissina chased her away and Yuuri walked away from her, but she was hopefully with Gwendal or Günter. Now that he was alone, he wanted to… He didn't know what exactly. There were just so many thoughts running through his head.

Memories from Wolfram's birth were haunting him: Anissina had been too young to take charge of anything, Gisela hadn't been there, but there had been other women, maids and healers, and no one had noticed him. Wolfram's father wasn't even there, and Gwendal was in his room, and Conrad had been hiding under a table in a room next to his mother's. He had heard his mother's cries and after a little while he stopped trying to cover his ears, and then he had heard Wolfram's first cries.

He had crawled out of his hiding place and he opened the door to the adjoining room even though he thought that he shouldn't be there. But his mother had smiled at him through the pain that still marked her face and she had beckoned him closer…

Nothing had ever made him stop loving Wolfram. He had sworn to protect him no matter what, protect him against _anything_.

That had been an easy promise for a child to make to his baby brother. Keeping it had been challenging at times but he had never truly doubted that he _wanted_ to keep it. But now he had to realize that things were getting complicated beyond his control.

Conrad paced the lawn in a corner of the garden, and he looked at the insects among the flowers. _There's a black spot on that butterfly's wings… black like Yuuri's hair… If it leaves that red flower and goes to the yellow one next, then it's a sign that Yuuri won't insist on seeing 'Sara' after all…_

The butterfly went from the red flower to a purple one and to a blue one next, and then to another blue one, and Conrad knew that it was childish to look for 'signs' like that anyway…

He had to accept that he couldn't protect Wolfram from having his heart broken. He had to accept that he couldn't keep Yuuri from Saralegui, not if the young king really had made his mind up… The situation was absurd and impossible, but if anyone could make it work, then it was Yuuri…

The butterfly with black spots on its wings it disappeared behind the trees, just like Yuuri was going to disappear, not only to Earth but to Small Shimaron, and there was nothing anybody could do to keep him where he _should_ be, if Gwendal's words hadn't gotten through to him…

Conrad had never been amused by chasing butterflies to put needles through them and put them in glass boxes…

"Um, Conrad?"

The voice behind him caught him by surprise. He spun around quickly and tried to compose himself in the blink of an eye. He was a soldier; he shouldn't be caught off guard… never mind that it was only Günter who was standing there…

"We are all waiting now", Günter said, as if to excuse his presence. When Conrad nodded, Günter continued:

"How long have you known?"

Conrad didn't have to think long about it to know what the other man was referring to. Günter looked paler than usual in the bright sunlight, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep lately.

"Not very long", Conrad said. "Yozak told Gwendal first, then Beryes came to give the same message, and we all talked about it with the sage. We all agreed not to tell anyone, and Yozak went to retrieve Yuuri immediately."

"You thought it wasn't safe to tell me until shortly before His Majesty's and Yozak's return", Günter said. "You thought I'd be too upset…"

"Well…" Conrad didn't know how to respond to that, because that was the truth, even if admitting it would perhaps be too disrespectful. "_Aren't_ you upset?" he asked.

"But of course!" Günter's eyes sparkled. "His Majesty Yuuri is suffering from an impossible love; how could I not be upset?! Aren't you?"

"To be perfectly honest with you…" Conrad sighed. "Yes, I am. On the other hand; Yuuri isn't completely unamenable to reason. He's going to do the right thing."

"Yes, but…" Günter's went dreamy and troubled. "What _is_ the right thing, in matters of the heart? You know that I love His Majesty; I don't want to lose him to another kingdom and if your brother wanted to fight for him, who knows; I might be on his side… But I also wish for nothing more than my king's happiness so if it came to that I might try to keep Wolfram away from His Majesty – also because I love him. You see what I mean? What am I supposed to think and feel? What if he asks me for advice?!"

Conrad didn't reply. He and his friend and ex teacher walked well together. It didn't feel like either of them had to adapt his pace to the other; they found a rhythm and kept walking, as if they were going to find the answer they were looking for somewhere in that corner of the garden, together.

It was a pretty corner of the garden. The flowers were bright and their scent was rich; it was the vibrant peak of the summer when everything seemed to be bursting with colors simply because it was too hot to keep anything bottled up. Just like his mother felt that her time had come, the flowers felt that they had to give their everything to the world. Conrad supposed that Yuuri's attraction to Saralegui was just as irresistible as the flowers' longing to display their deepest colors, and in theory, such feelings were something to be happy about…

"Of course, I always knew that His Majesty never truly loved Wolfram…"

It felt like an eternity of silence had passed, and at the same time, nothing was different. The topic on their mind was still the same.

"Because", Conrad replied and couldn't help teasing Günter a little, "you are so infatuated with him that you didn't want him to love Wolfram!"

"Not true!" Günter blushed. "I object to that. I do not love His Majesty in an adulterous way; I wouldn't… um, I mean, that is…"

Conrad laughed a little. In a way, that probably was true and in another way, perhaps not… but Günter was not and would never be Saralegui; his adoration of the young king was not a secret and yet even Wolfram didn't care that much about it.

"I understand you perfectly", Conrad reassured him. "Your feelings for your king are entirely noble and appropriate… most of the time."

He smiled, but Günter snapped:

"Well, what about you?! Can you honestly say that you have never been the least bit jealous of your younger brother?"

Conrad flinched and found himself momentarily lost for word. He hadn't expected Günter to take his teasing so seriously, but now that he thought about it, he realized that he had probably chosen the wrong way to lighten up the mood.

When he thought about it some more, he realized that he hadn't really been trying to lighten up the mood at all. He just wanted to… he just wanted to… to _talk about it_. It was an unexpected need, sudden and a bit worrying, but there it was.

"Honestly, Günter…" he said. "Honestly, until recently I thought the answer to that question was 'yes'. So I guess, up until now, I haven't been aware of any feeling of jealousy I might have felt. Maybe I've just been lying to myself…"

"That's what I thought", Günter said. "But you _have_ been lying to yourself, for Wolfram's sake. We all just want what's best for the ones we care about, isn't that right?"

"Right", Conrad said. "And Yuuri is so young… The engagement was too sudden, that's true, but Wolfram did fall in love with him. Yuuri _could have_ fallen in love with him, too, eventually… that's what I believed. Or, maybe…"

"Or maybe they would have just broken up quietly in mutual understanding and friendship", Günter added. "And then he would have stayed with us. That would have been the right thing to do."

"Yuuri means well", Conrad said, "but he's young. You can't expect a very young person to always have the best judgement. You even said yourself that you don't know what to think about all this."

"Oh, be quiet!" Günter showed his temper again. He stopped and the comfortable pacing in perfect unison was no more. "You can be so annoying sometimes, Conrad. Well, forgive me for saying so, but I just _can't stand_ that shrewd King Saralegui!"

For added emphasis, he finished with an uncharacteristically coarse oath, and stomped away from Conrad.

So, he was alone on the sundrenched lawn. What was he doing there? What was he supposed to do with all his half-baked thoughts?

He plopped down on the grass with a heavy sigh. There was nothing he _could_ do, except to keep doing his job: his job as a brother, and his job as a soldier/godfather… _Nothing has changed_, he decided, _not really – whatever Yuuri decides to do, Wolfram will get over it and I'll stay by their sides!_

Then, suddenly, a chill went down Conrad's spine, never mind the sun was still unclouded and the trees unmoved by the wind.

What if Yuuri went to live with Saralegui and decided that Beryes could protect both of them? What if he decided that he didn't need Wolfram _or_ his brother anymore?

And whatever Yuuri decided in the end, _one_ problem remained…

_How am I going to support Yuuri without making Wolfram _seriously_ hate me this time?_


	6. The Break-up

"Yuuri", Wolfram said, "do you know what day it is today?"

Yuuri looked up, surprised to hear such tension in Wolfram's voice. He was used to expect the unexpected, and anything could make Wolfram upset.

"No", he said carefully. "I don't…"

Had he forgotten something? Had he done something wrong? Not as far as he knew! But maybe Wolfram had _heard_, and that meant that it was too late; he should have told Wolfram already…

"It is our two year anniversary." Wolfram stared at him. "We have been engaged for two years."

Yuuri could think of nothing to say but: "Oh… right…"

Had it been that long already? It didn't feel like it. On the other hand, sometimes, it felt like forever…

Wolfram kept staring at him and Yuuri fidgeted uncomfortably. Why did he have the feeling that he didn't like what was coming?

"You'll be what, eighteen on your next birthday?" Wolfram asked rhetorically. "That's a normal age to get married on Earth, isn't it?"

"Wh… what?" Yuuri stuttered. _Get married_? He so didn't want to go there, but his 'fiancé' clearly expected an answer.

"Eighteen is a bit young", Yuuri said, "but it's not unheard of. Why do you ask?"

"Why?" Wolfram clenched his fists and his green eyes got darker. "Because I think it's about time we get married, that's why! Normally you'd be the one to bring that up, because you were the one who proposed, but…"

"No, wait!" Yuuri cut him off and had to brace himself not to run away. "You're asking me to marry you? But we're too young to get married. We shouldn't even talk about it."

Never mind that 'engagement' usually meant that a marriage was next…

"I think we should", the blond boy said and there was that dangerous glint in his eyes again; that look that clearly told Yuuri sometimes that he was dead serious and was dying to move things forward.

Yuuri looked away, tried to collect his thoughts. The conversation he had been avoiding for so long was coming. He had known that it had to come sooner or later…

"Wolfram", he said, "don't try to tell me that you don't know how I feel about this…"

"Come on", Wolfram interrupted, "don't give me that crap about 'we're both guys' again! You know you don't believe in that anymore…"

"True", Yuuri admitted. "I have changed; I have learned a lot. But one thing has not changed and that is how this 'engagement' started. You _know_ that I didn't know this world's traditions; I didn't know what I was doing when I 'proposed' to you."

Wolfram didn't answer. He tried to compose himself, keep his face empty of emotions, and it made Yuuri realize that Wolfram had changed, too. Wolfram's first reaction was not to lash out and scream anymore; to his credit, he tried to stay calm.

"But… but…" he said. "I guess I had hoped…" He swallowed, and his eyes got shiny as if tears were gathering there and he had to control himself to stop them from flooding. "If that's the way you feel, why haven't you said anything before?"

"I think I made myself pretty clear in the beginning and then we just sort of stopped talking about it, so I hoped… I guess I hoped it would go away if I just ignored it."

Wolfram sighed and almost whispered: "That's not how these things work, Yuuri…"

The sadness in Wolfram's voice was overwhelming, much more so because he was so quiet and calm. Yuuri hadn't wanted to cause him pain. Why did Wolfram insist on feeling this way for him; why could he never see that it wasn't doing any of them any good?

Hesitatingly, Yuuri moved closer to him and tried to put his arms around him. Wolfram brushed him away.

"Don't touch me! You never liked to touch me before, so why start now?"

It was true, Yuuri supposed. He never initiated any touches between them and lately Wolfram had been less touchy-feely as well. When Yuuri thought about it, the only two people he was comfortable touching were Greta and Conrad.

And Saralegui. Which was something entirely different. Now was probably as good a time as any to tell Wolfram, he supposed. Because no matter what, he _had_ to tell Wolfram. If he was already breaking Wolfram's heart, why not go all the way at once…

"I'm sorry", he offered weakly.

Wolfram looked at him and now he wasn't too proud to try to hide the tears in his eyes.

"I'm not a complete idiot, you know", he said. "I guess I knew this had to happen, but… it just had to be said out loud once and for all…"

"Yes", Yuuri agreed.

They looked at each other in silence, until Wolfram made a movement as if to turn around and leave.

"Wait", Yuuri said. "There's more. I have to tell you… I should have told you right away, but then you started talking about marriage, and… and there's no easy way anyway, so…"

"What? What can you possibly tell me that is worse? Unless this is about Conrad…"

A dangerous flame begun to burn in Wolfram's eyes, tears on fire, and Yuuri shook his head fervently.

"No! What makes you say that? It's… it's Sara. King Saralegui."

So now it was said. Now Wolfram knew it: not only did Yuuri not love him, but he loved someone else instead.

Wolfram said nothing, as if he just couldn't open his mouth. No screaming accusations of cheating, no insults, no hard fists boxing his arms…

"There are documents and stuff that need to be taken care of", Wolfram said as he turned around to leave. "Talk to Günter about it; he'll know what to do. I guess this is the end."

Yuuri felt a lump in his throat.

"But we'll still be friends…"

"Yeah… I guess…"

The door closed behind Wolfram and Yuuri was left to examine the feeling that was a strange mix of freedom, sadness, and relief.

He just hoped Wolfram would be okay, but he honestly didn't know that much about what was truly going on inside the other boy's heart. He had been too nervous, and been feeling too guilty as well, to want to think about Wolfram's feelings.

But now, he realized, he was for the first time in two years free to actually consider what _he_ wanted and what to do about it, how to make it work.

And then he remembered that Wolfram was going to have a little sister (or brother, if Chérie's prediction was wrong) and this was supposed to be a happy time!

_My timing is pretty bad, huh? _he said to himself, and he had no more than thought that thought before Greta flung the door open.

"Yuuri, what are you doing? Everybody else is out in the garden, waiting for the baby to be born! I just met Wolfram and he told me: 'Oh, right; I forgot.' How could you forget? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Uh", Yuuri said and didn't know where to look. Greta was going to be so upset… "Or something, yeah", he said. "I'm sorry. It's complicated. We'll talk about it later, okay? Let's go find the others!"

The others, like Greta had said, were all outside in the sunshine, even Murata. Maids were hovering nearby, ready to fill glasses with cold juice or water, and Conrad was throwing a baseball from one hand to another. Gwendal and Günter were there, sitting idly on garden chairs. Gwendal's fingers were tapping restlessly on his thighs, as if he longed for his knitting or at least a pen. Then he straightened up, remembering to look relaxed and composed… until he forgot again.

"Conrad, will you stop that?" Wolfram snapped. "I can't stand the sound of that ball against your hands…"

Wolfram stopped talking. He took a deep breath and pressed his jaws tightly together, looking more tense than Yuuri had ever seen him before. It probably took him a lot of self control not to set that ball on fire.

Conrad caught Yuuri's eyes, and Yuuri shrugged and mouthed a silent 'I'm sorry'. Conrad sighed and threw the ball away onto the lawn.

Wolfram followed it with his eyes while it rolled for a little while, and then stopped. He kept his eyes on it and didn't look at Yuuri when he sat down at the table.

"She has been in there for three hours already", Gwendal said. "If not more. She's had three children before; she should be used to this – what's taking her so long?"

"Yeah, what's taking her so long?"

Greta's legs hung down from the chair and kicked restlessly just above the grass. Her eldest uncle looked like he wanted to do the same.

"Actually," Murata said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "the number of previous children doesn't matter. She hasn't given birth since Wolfram was born, more than eighty years ago. As far as her body is concerned, this could have been her first! Also, some women have their very first baby real quickly. There's no way of predicting when this is going to be over."

"Murata." Yuuri eyed his friend suspiciously. "You seem to know a lot about these things."

"It's nothing", the other boy said. "Just common knowledge that I've picked up along the way."

The others pondered this statement for a while. Greta's feet kept on kicking.

"Actually", Wolfram suddenly said and got up from his chair, "I'll take care of that stupid ball. Come on, Greta, let's play!"

Greta was more than willing. She suggested, once, that Yuuri should join them, but when Wolfram pretended not to hear her, she said nothing more and followed Wolfram who focused entirely on her and the ball as if nothing else existed.

"Hi there!" said a cheerful voice totally out of the blue and several of them jumped. It was Yozak, taking a shortcut into the garden by climbing over the wall, and he called out to them from on top of it.

"What's up?" he said when he landed beside the table where they were all seated. "Has Lady Chérie had her baby yet?"

"No, not yet", Gwendal replied. "We're waiting."


	7. Greta's Questions

"Did you and Yuuri have a fight?" Greta asked as she threw the baseball.

With some part of his brain, Wolfram registered that she was getting pretty good at throwing, maybe she had practised? He hadn't been around a lot lately; when Yuuri was on Earth he had taken the opportunity to spend some time in the von Bielefeld territory.

Now he almost wished he had stayed there, that he had stayed there forever and that he had found someone else, someone who loved him, so that he could have been the one to break up. But no, it had to be Yuuri who did it, and it wasn't even because some girl back on Earth. That was something he _almost _could have understood, but no, it had to be Saralegui of all people…

"Wolfram?" Greta called for his attention, and he remembered her question.

"We didn't fight", he replied. "I mean, sort of, but it's… complicated."

_Is Yuuri going to leave it to me to break the news to Greta?_ he wondered.

"It always is with the two of you", was the child's comment. She caught the ball and came running closer to him, and held out her hand for him to take.

He took it, and wondered if she was going to cry when he told her. If he did. Maybe he and Yuuri should do it together… one last thing to do together, as a couple. Not that they had been doing many things together as a couple before, but there had always been that comforting illusion of togetherness, and a lot of it was thanks to their adopted child…

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Complicated", she repeated. "You're not like other couples! Or at least not like Hube and Nicola. You know, sometimes when I go there to play with Elle, I see how he comes up to her when she's cooking or something, and he wraps her arms around her waist and kisses her in the neck, and she…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Wolfram interrupted. The last thing he wanted was to hear how happy other couples were together…

"I was just thinking", Greta said. "I've never seen Yuuri touch you like that. And if you tried to kiss him in the neck I'll bet he'd hit you as hard as he could! I asked Nicola what she thought – "

"You did what?!"

Wolfram stared at the child and hoped he had misheard her. But she just looked up at him with those innocent big eyes that didn't have any trace of malice in them, and he knew she hadn't _meant_ to stick her little nose in where it didn't belong.

"She said it's because you're both boys so you're probably embarrassed to show affection around other people. She said you probably cuddle and stuff when I'm asleep."

It wasn't a question, but there was something in her tone of voice that made Wolfram realize that she really was worried, or confused.

"We don't", he said before he could stop himself. But it was the truth, wasn't it? Yuuri had _never _wanted to cuddle and he just _wouldn't_ let Wolfram touch him, and Wolfram had more or less stopped trying, for his own sanity's sake. It was better to at least pretend that it was his choice. And he had sworn never to speak of it to anyone, and it was so wrong to talk about it with Greta, but she had started it!

He blushed and wanted to bite his tongue, hard.

Greta sighed, "That's what I thought. That's why I said you're not like other couples, because you never act like you're in love. Well, at least Yuuri doesn't. I just don't get it."

"What is it that you don't get?" Wolfram squeezed her warm little hand and wished that her questions could clear some of his confusion, too.

"I don't get why you're even together", Greta admitted. "I mean, I know you're supposed to get married one day…"

Wolfram closed his eyes, took a deep breath and prayed for strength. The sun was hot on his face, but not as hot as the pain inside him that he wanted to keep away from his voice. Greta said what everybody no doubt was already thinking. But they would all know soon, they would know that the wonderful, black-haired young king loved someone else and that's why he shied away from his fiancé's love…

"It's like that for nobles and royalty sometimes", he said. "Sometimes, a couple get engaged for… various reasons that you're too young to understand" – _like a foreigner making a mistake_ – "and love comes later, when they've gotten to know each other more…"

"Really?" Greta's eyes were wide. "So… when I grow up, maybe I'll have to get engaged to somebody I'm not in love with yet? What if we never fall in love?"

"Yeah, what if?!" Wolfram laughed mirthlessly. "But don't worry, Greta. I won't let it happen to you. You'll never have to marry someone you're not madly in love with, I promise you that. And Yuuri doesn't want that either."

"It's a promise", she said, and at least some of the worry in her face disappeared. "I want it to be like Nicola and Hube. Or like Anissina and Lady Chérie."

It didn't escape Wolfram that he and Yuuri weren't mentioned among the role models. And that, he supposed, was only natural, given the circumstances. He shuddered at the thought of Greta one day having a fiancé who didn't want to have anything to do with her love.

"Hey", she said, "you're going to be alright, aren't you? You and Yuuri, this fight, it's all going to go away, and Yuuri is going to fall in love with you like Hube loves Nicola…"

"Greta, I'm tired of hearing of Hube and Nicola!" It was all Wolfram could do not to sound as upset as he felt. "I mean, let's get back to playing, okay?"

Greta was quiet for a moment, then she gave him a quick hug.

"Okay, Wolfram… Love you."

She let go of him, and ran back to her position where she waited for him to throw the baseball again.

Wasn't it ironic that Yuuri didn't love him, but the child he had only adopted because Yuuri wanted to, she did?

He would never have expected it two years ago, but now he knew that Greta was something of the best that had ever happened to him. He only hoped that nothing would change between the two of them as soon as the news were public.

And as long as Greta didn't know – and as long as she didn't ask so many questions – he could at least try to forget about the… situation and pretend that everything was normal. Even if 'normal' never had meant that he had been sure of Yuuri's love, he had at least had some kind of hope that time would get them there…


End file.
